June 2020 Update
First of all, do your part and read articles and books about antiracism. There are great resources listed here, here, and here. Black Lives Matter.
I joined the team at Operation Awesome to post weekly about writing, editing, and publishing. I post every Tuesday, and I started a reading series, Q: What Are You Reading?. Check out the first post here.
My first year of graduate school training in art therapy is complete. I have started classes for year two and began researching my thesis.
I wrapped up the January issue of The Magnolia Review after several delays, and I am working on the July issue as we speak.
July is Camp NaNo. I will be participating with the goal to work on my graphic novel. I hope to start the final pages this year, even if it is December 31st.
I apologize for the delays in updates and not posting often. Graduate school is a lot of work. Here are some of my art projects.
Who are we? We are artist-clinicians, shamans, healers, not always fully realizing or completely understanding the power of this imagery in healing and affirming of life itself…we are…containers of the pain. We are the brushes, the colors, musical instruments, meter in poetry, and gesture in dance. It is a sacred obligation to be creative while treading the holy ground of art therapy. –Don Jones
Primary Art Therapists: mixed media, watercolor, ink, pastel, charcoal, marker, colored pencil, crayon, paper, glue
Rain drop mobile: paint, paper, yarn, tape, glue
Castle: Recycling (food containers, paper rolls, packaging), wood, mosaic tiles, acrylic paint, glue
Daily Chronicles
(C)ovid-19 Chronicles. Bucket List. Monday, 3.16.2020. #artdemic #comic #comics #art
I never imagined that I could check items off my bucket list while in social isolation.
Check: Watch the Carmen Opera
To do: write a play. Learn to take better selfies.
First Fiction Publication! and updates
Check out my first short story fiction publication, “The Future of Food Service” in the first issue of Whatever Keeps the Lights On. It’s very exciting to see my fiction find a home.
I’m making progress on the acrylic pour paintings.
And I’ve been making sketches for my psychologist project, as well as paneling and sketching the graphic novel pages.
And experimenting with zentangles, color, and mandalas.
So far, so good, for the year of DO.
Goals for 2019
Since I have eight months before I start graduate school (applications are in!), I have decided to focus on writing and art.
I bought some big sketchbooks and paper to make text blocks for handmade books. I have supplies to try out acrylic pour painting.
Basically, I want to write a lot of poems, write new short fiction, revise two novels, submit like crazy to literary magazines, and draw my graphic novel, as I practice drawing (comics, figure, still life) and painting (watercolor, gouache, oil) and make more bookbinding projects and do more sculpture (plaster, wood, and take a crack at small stone sculptures). In my usual crazy number style. See how much I can accomplish. Oh, and exercise and my improve diet. Because what is a New Year’s Resolution without that?
At the moment, I am currently wrapping up Volume 5, Issue 1 of The Magnolia Review. It’s exciting to see the biggest issue yet, with the theme of Lost and Found. Submissions are open for Volume 5, Issue 2, with the theme of Questions.
And, shocker, I bought my first MP3 player so I could listen to music as I write and art. Then I’m not tempted to scroll the internet. Maybe I’ll get around to those YouTube playlists and finally listen to some podcasts.
I’ve read 115 books in 2018. Let’s see if I can beat that next year.
My word of the year is DO.
NaNo 2018–Day 30–, 91,001 words
Wow, what a month! It turns out that I did not reach the end of the story until 91,001 words, so I did not do a Dare novel this time, though that is still something I would like to do. I also did not reach 100K, but 91K is pretty close. I beat several of my personal records for wordiest day and wordiest novel. I wrote every day and increased my daily word count average. This is definitely one of my better first drafts, and I’m planning the edits using Story Grid.
- I beat my wordiest day from 2014 on the 1st.
- I beat my wordiest day again on the 12th.
- I beat my wordiest day yet again on the 18th, with 12,116 words.
- I reached 50K on day 12, and my previous record was 13.
- I have not missed a day of writing, and though some were not high word counts, I did add to my word count on the days that were packed with school and work.
- My daily average is higher than it has ever been–4,000 words
Instead of waiting until January to do goals, I’ve decided to challenge myself and see what I can accomplish by August 2019 by starting in December. There will be lots of fiction, poetry, comics, sketchbooks, literary magazine submissions, and language learning in the posts to come.
NaNo 2018–Day 15–65,223 words
I’ve been doing NaNo for ten years, and this has been my best year ever.
- I beat my wordiest day from 2014 on the 1st.
- I beat my wordiest day again on the 12th.
- I reached 50K on day 12, and my previous record was 13.
- I have not missed a day of writing, and though they were not high word counts, I did add to my word count on the days that were packed with school and work.
- My daily average is higher than it has ever been–I’m on track to doing my first 100K ever!
- My novel finally has a decent ending-just need to wrap it up, and sometimes endings are hard for me. I want to reach THE END.
- When I finish this novel, I’m going to do my first Dare novel.
Word Count Totals:
Day 1: 10,224 words for the day, 10,224 total. Nice! You beat your record.
Day 2: 1,063 words for the day, 11,287 total.
Day 3: 965 words, 12,252 total
Day 4: 155 words, 12,407 total
Day 5: 7,729 words, 20,136 total
Day 6: 4,263 words, 24,399 total
Day 7: 2,982 words, 27,381 total
Day 8: 5,370 words, 32,751 total
Day 9: 3,297 words, 36,048 total
Day 10: 4,638 words, 40,686 total
Day 11: 5,330 words, 46,016 total
Day 12: 12,107 words, 58,123 total. You beat your new wordiest day record!
Day 13: 2,081 words, 60,204 total
Day 14: 541 words, 60,745 total
Day 15: 4,478 words, 65,223 total
NaNo 2018–Day 1–10,224 words
This year I am working an idea I developed in 2007, a science-fiction mystery. My wordiest day record was from National Novel Writing Month 2014, at 10,192 words. And that was a goal I wanted to break this year.
I did not expect to reach this goal on day 1. Writing 10,224 words, I discovered much more about my character and her Ordinary World. What a great way to start the month!
18% Funded! 7 Days to Go!
We are 18% Funded with 7 Days to Go! Thank you to all 31 backers. I appreciate your support.
I approved the final proof from the printer for Volume 4, Issue 1. They are getting ready to print, and I will have them before the end of November.
There is still time to donate, and please keep spreading the word. We only have 7 days to meet our funding goal.
Thank you!
Suzanna
Check out the Kickstarter project page here (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/magnoliareview/the-magnolia-review-volume-4?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=the%20magnolia%20review).
We are 18% Funded with 7 Days to Go! Thank you to all 31 backers. I appreciate your support.
I approved the final proof from the printer for Volume 4, Issue 1. They are getting ready to print, and I will have them before the end of November.
There is still time to donate, and please keep spreading the word. We only have 7 days to meet our funding goal.
Thank you!
Suzanna
18% Funded! 9 Days to Go!
Only 9 days left to make print versions of Volume 4 a reality! Let’s make this dream come true.
Thank you to our 28 backers! We are 18% funded with 9 Days to Go! Thank you for every dollar of $1,123. Keep the pledges coming and keep spreading the word. Let’s make this dream happen.
Check out the Kickstarter project page here (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/magnoliareview/the-magnolia-review-volume-4?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=the%20magnolia%20review).
Suzanna and Writing 